YOU CAN’T MEASURE SMARTS BUT YOU CAN MEASURE LOVE
You can measure intelligence but you can not measure smarts. That was the claim of Mike Rose, UCLA research methods expert, on John Edwards’ radio program. I think everybody knows some very intelligent people who fall very short on common sense.
Rose went on to say you can not measure things like community, friendship, happiness, success and love. What he means is that you can’t give it a precise number, like 131 for IQ. Those things are more subjective.
But I think you can meaningfully measure those things. In fact I believe you can even measure more obscure qualities such as goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and creativity… even if it is a subjective measure… and you can use it to help guide and direct your personal growth.
Take joy, for instance. On a subjective scale from 0 to 10, 10 being highest, how joyful are you? What do you need to do to increase your level of joy? Even more meaningful… What can you do to bring joy to your world? Now that is a meaningful spiritual exercise.
Let’s try another. Using the same scale from 0 to 10, 10 being highest and best, what is your level of kindness? Now we are getting personal! What do you need to do to be more kind?
Here’s is one for work. Using the same scale, how effective are you in staying on task for income producing activity… generating leads, following up, and getting contracts signed? What do you need to do to be more effective?
Rose says that Americans are obsessed with measuring; Zero calories, high school exit exams, production goals, weight loss… and I think he is right… but I don’t think it is such a bad thing. In fact having some standards to measure your self by, while producing some anxiety, will move you forward with your life. Life without measuring would produce TV watching candidates for the Biggest Loser program… then they will be measuring weight loss for sure!
Moreover, I think it is important and essential that we measure the love in our lives, that which we receive and that which we give. Yes, some may question how to measure love precisely. You don’t need to measure it precisely. You just need to be aware and conscious that love is the most important thing in life and that there needs to be a whole lot of evidence that it is flowing to you and from you.
How much love flows through your heart to your world… on a scale of 0 to 10?
I love you-Bryan Martin.
Rose went on to say you can not measure things like community, friendship, happiness, success and love. What he means is that you can’t give it a precise number, like 131 for IQ. Those things are more subjective.
But I think you can meaningfully measure those things. In fact I believe you can even measure more obscure qualities such as goodness, kindness, faithfulness, and creativity… even if it is a subjective measure… and you can use it to help guide and direct your personal growth.
Take joy, for instance. On a subjective scale from 0 to 10, 10 being highest, how joyful are you? What do you need to do to increase your level of joy? Even more meaningful… What can you do to bring joy to your world? Now that is a meaningful spiritual exercise.
Let’s try another. Using the same scale from 0 to 10, 10 being highest and best, what is your level of kindness? Now we are getting personal! What do you need to do to be more kind?
Here’s is one for work. Using the same scale, how effective are you in staying on task for income producing activity… generating leads, following up, and getting contracts signed? What do you need to do to be more effective?
Rose says that Americans are obsessed with measuring; Zero calories, high school exit exams, production goals, weight loss… and I think he is right… but I don’t think it is such a bad thing. In fact having some standards to measure your self by, while producing some anxiety, will move you forward with your life. Life without measuring would produce TV watching candidates for the Biggest Loser program… then they will be measuring weight loss for sure!
Moreover, I think it is important and essential that we measure the love in our lives, that which we receive and that which we give. Yes, some may question how to measure love precisely. You don’t need to measure it precisely. You just need to be aware and conscious that love is the most important thing in life and that there needs to be a whole lot of evidence that it is flowing to you and from you.
How much love flows through your heart to your world… on a scale of 0 to 10?
I love you-Bryan Martin.
